The striking similarities between Bo Dallas and Chris Jericho
It was amidst all the stable wars and over the top gimmicks that the WWE creative presented the WWE Universe with the second coming of Bo Dallas. His initial babyface run didn’t flourish as much as WWE wanted and Bo was sent back to NXT were he turned himself into a more matured wrestler who forced the WWE to give him a second chance in the main roster.
Bo has only spent a little time in the main roster but he has breathed in some fresh air of that old heelish gimmick which the WWE was missing for some time. Over the years, many superstars have portrayed the same but one particular name which could mask with the current Bo would be Chris Jericho. Jericho at the starting stages of his career made a name in Japan before Paul Heyman snatched him to join his Philadelphia based cult promotion, ECW. Jericho then jumped ships to WCW as Eric Bischoff offered the human highlight reel things which Heyman couldn’t afford. As far as the journey is concerned, Bo had a considerably easier one as wrestling run through his family. This got Bo a place in the WWE developments and the path from there was pretty much easier than what Jericho had to endure at that time. However, the point at which these two men’s coincide is how the get over with the fans.
Like Bo, Jericho also started off as a face in WCW before being repackaged as a heel. It turned out to be a turning point in Jericho’s career as he flourished under the circumstances. He was someone who would insult anyone that crossed his path and had a great aura outside the ring or during his promos. And then when he stepped in between the ropes, it was a whole different story. He gave out solid performance inside the ring which was in some kind of contradiction to his antics outside it. Now, Bo might not go out and insult anyone like Jericho did in his time at WCW, but he does have that cheesiness which forces the fans to hate him even if he is smiling. Bo comes out to that inspirational music, he takes some time to speak about how people should star Bo-Lieving , takes out his opponent and encourages his defeated foe. There might not be something heelish about those antics on paper, but the scenario has more to it. Bo’s smile is irritating at times and the fact that he always has one right across his face makes matter easier for the fans to hate him.
And when Bo argues with the crowd, instead of the smile it is that one face that a child makes when he argues with his parents. Back then, Jericho was also in the middle of so many stables in WCW and managed to make a small room for him apart from all that just like Bo is doing at the moment. The top heels that WWE have at the moment are the ones that spook out the fans with their physique and cockiness but Bo belongs to a different category of heels, the one that Jericho used to be in back in the days. Bo has only started off his career in the WWE since the first run could be counted out and the way in which the WWE creative runs things now, Bo should try to make it on his own rather than waiting for that big moment. Jericho had a master mind called Eric Bischoff guiding him at WCW and the booking decisions took some pressure off from Jericho. However, it’s a luxury that Bo doesn’t have at the moment which means that if Bo manages to reach the heights that Jericho touched throughout his career, then the inspirational man clearly deserves a lot more praise that the human highlight reel.